Under Gravity Falls
by abzrocks1234
Summary: The twins, separated at birth, want nothing more than to meet each other. Funny how coincidences work out, a sleepy town called Gravity Falls might just help them, along with a little bit more than they bargained for. What is under the Mystery Shack, really? And will differences in alliances make things worse? Twins weren't made to be enemies. Right? (Apocalypse AU)T just in case
1. Chapter 1

_Shadow Princess_

_Shadows fall_

_Open a door_

_Release the downfall_

_Shadow Prince_

_A midnight king_

_A hidden savior _

_A song to sing_

_A Shadow guide_

_Leads through it all_

_Steps with pride_

_Through the brawl_

_A Shadow demon_

_Hell's proudest spawn_

_A shining beacon_

_For the dark and withdrawn_

_Hidden by the shadows of fright_

_The Shadow twins_

_Stalk through the night_

_Their loyal teammates_

_Fight bravely_

_Their rivals_

_Cowering safely_

_A deadly secret_

_Kept through the years_

_Will be revealed_

_And will bring tears_

_The Pines twins_

_Normal kids no more_

_Will find their destinies _

_Among this gore_

_Release the good! Let light reign!_

_Let us not be fooled by this dark fiend! _

_Release _

_The hounds_

_Of hell_

_Welcome to Gravity Falls_

* * *

Her name was Mabel. Mabel Pines.

Actually, she originally wanted it to be Maple. As in, Maple Syrup, which was her absolute favorite thing like, ever! However, most people thought she was saying 'Mabel', and that just stuck.

She got to pick out her own name, so she considered herself lucky. It was just to keep her spirits up, because she didn't actually KNOW her real name. Or if she even had one. She had been left on her own as a baby.

But she did know her last name, Pines. It was engraved on a locket, in a golden pine tree. She had that locket since she was a baby, which gave her the only two things she knew about herself.

Her last name. And the fact that she had a brother.

A twin brother. She didn't know his name either, or if he had one, or if he was with their parents. But if you opened up that golden pine tree locket, you would find the picture of a baby boy, along with a shred of paper that read **Your Twin. Find him.**

And that's what Mabel planned to do! Find her brother, her last family, and be happy.

In the meantime, she had her pet pig, Waddles. Waddles loved Mabel as much as she loved him. The had matching sweaters, so it must be perfect!

It was hard for Mabel to travel around America; just a twelve year old and a pig. She needed some kind of adult companion. And she did!

Her name was Susan. Lazy Susan Wentworth, who drove a food truck and had a lazy, hanging eyelid and a hillbilly twang. She was the one that found Mabel as a baby. So the three of them, Waddles, Mabel, and Lazy Susan, took it upon them to travel around, searching for the boy with the matching locket.

To most, the mission would seem impossible. But this team was optimistic; unrealistically so.

However, there was another _small _obstacle that got in their way.

"LAZY SUSAN! LAZY SUSANNNNNNN!"

The woman woke up with a start, having had fallen asleep at the drivers seat of her food truck, amidst the grease stains and funny smells. She watched as Mabel sprinted towards the truck, screaming her head off. Waddles, in the truck with Lazy Susan, popped his head up to peek out the window.

"START THE TRUCK START THE TRUCK START THE TRUCK!" Mabel screeched as figures began limping after her. Zombies. Green-skinned, droopy-eyed, drooling zombies.

"Oh my stars!" Lazy Susan scrambled to start the engine and Mabel ripped open the passenger seat's door and dove in, slamming it shut.

"DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE!"

The old lady floored it like a NASCAR driver, knocking down zombies as she sped down the street.

"What did you do?!" Lazy Susan asked as they drove further and further away from the zombies.

"I was just picking up more water bottles!" Mabel managed to gasp between heavy breaths, heaving the bag into the back and fixing her hair. "They had taken over the gas station!"

Yes, the world was in the middle of a pretty nasty apocalypse, consisting of not only zombies, but gnomes, vampires, ghosts, and any other spooky-scary-creepy-crawler you could imagine. That was a roadblock in their way, but they've learned to manage.

"Well, at least you're alright," Lazy Susan sighed, ignoring the speed limit (laws were not really considered in an apocalypse). "Well, now that we're on the road again, where to now?"

Mabel climbed into the back, struggling to keep her balance as the truck sped down the road. Wobbling, she grabbed a dart and pointed it at the dartboard with a map of the United States, above boxes of taco meat. She tossed it, and the dart dug itself into the board. She walked over to study it.

"Oregon?"

"My home state!" Lazy Susan chuckled. "And it's not too far either, considering we're in Nevada."

Mabel pulled the dart from the map, and tossed it back into a box, wandering back to the front seat and sliding in, buckling her seatbelt. "It's all woodsy there, right?"

"Yes, but we'll find civilization. We can go back to my old home! I haven't been there since I was ten years old."

"Where did you live?"

"A cozy little town. Gravity Falls."

"What's it like?" Mabel asked, curious.

"I don't remember much," Lazy Susan said, merging into the highway. I remember there being a nice water fall. And a diner my parents owned, that I was supposed to own before I got this food truck."

"Well, then, we'll check out their diner," Mabel said with an excited grin.

And now, with a target in their minds, a goal in their hearts, and greasy canned meat in their bellies, they set out to the one place they never thought would have such an impact on their lives.

* * *

His name was Dipper. Dipper Pines.

And oh dear GOD did he hate his name! He had never learned his birth name, nor did he ever learn if he had one. People had been calling him 'Dipper' since...well, forever, really. It was because of his god awful birthmark, slapped right in the center of his forehead, the spitting image of the Big Dipper. Or the Little Dipper, take your pick. They both look the same once their on someone's forehead.

He has learned to live with it, however.

Because at least he wasn't Fiddleford Hadron Mcgucket. Now that was the king of terrible names. Old Man Mcgucket was Dipper's 'guardian', all though most of the time it was Dipper taking care of him. The poor guy had sort of gone nuts after losing all of his memory.

Dipper wasn't really sure what exactly was wrong with him. When he was old enough to understand that his guardian was crazy, he automatically assumed Schizophrenia. However, as Dipper got older and wiser, he started to think about something more along the lines of Dementia. Although, Dipper had a hunch that it wasn't Mcgucket's old age that did this to him (though it might play a part), but something much more intense. After all, people tend to go insane with monsters roaming the Earth.

Old Man Mcgucket's brains were as scrambled as eggs, yeah, but it wasn't dangerous. Dipper kept him around because a twelve year old can't wander the continent without adult 'supervision'. Oh yeah, and he was like a parental figure, having raised him since he was a baby. Not to mention he was a robotics genius, and that could come in handy.

Dipper didn't have many things he would risk his life to protect. However, Old Man Mcgucket was worth a bullet. Or slash, or zombie bite, or possession, or whatever crazy, whacked-up thing this world threw at them. It was that man, his locket, and the journal.

He had the locket, he assumed, since he was born. Or, since his parents abandoned him. It was a locket with a golden pine tree, with the word **Pines** engraved inside. Open up the locket, and you would find the picture of a baby girl, with the words **Your twin. Find her.** written on it.

Sketchy stuff, right? Why would they separate the twins and make them find each other?

The other thing was the journal he found in the woods of the town he was currently staying in, Gravity Falls, Oregon. There was a golden hand on the cover, with the number 3 written on it. There were different descriptions of the things that terrorized Earth; zombies, vampires, werewolves galore. Some of the descriptions even shared their weaknesses. There were more secrets hidden in the journal, and Dipper intended on discovering all he could. He may even become a hero!

Mcgucket and the kid arrived in Gravity Falls just yesterday, and he had already learned so much from the book.

Now, the partners were sprinting through the woods, a single solitary fairy chasing after them.

"Don't look it in the eyes!" Dipper yelled to Mcgucket as they tripped over roots and dodged branches.

Fairies were tough cookies. Really, they were! Don't get fooled by their pink glow and pretty features. Those things were deadly. One look into the fairy's eyes, and they could control your body. Once they had that, they had a nasty habit of forcing you to make yourself go through terrible torture before finally finishing you off. So yeah, they tried to avoid fairies when they could.

Throughout the apocalypse, Dipper and Mcgucket would just run to a building and hide from the fairies. Now, however, Dipper had that journal, which he had found in these exact same woods yesterday. He quickly opened it and thumbed through, finding the page on fairies.

"Okay!" he yelled breathlessly, constantly looking up and down from the page to his path of travel. "Weaknesses... plucked pine tree needles?"

"WHOO!" Old Man Mcgucket cheered, pulling some needles off of a pine tree as they passed. He spun on his heel and glared at the fairy, holding it out.

"WAIT!" Dipper spun around as well, holding out one hand to stop him. The old man tossed the pine needles onto the fairy, who collapsed to the ground, choking like she couldn't breath.

"Woah," Dipper gasped as Mcgucket grabbed the boy by his wrist and ran away as the fairy fainted.

The two ran out into a clearing and looked around to make sure it was safe before looking up at a rickety old building.

"This is it, Old Man Mcgucket," Dipper breathed. "I'd bet you anything this place has some answers."

The place where people could find amazing, supernatural things without having to risk death. It was a museum of the impossible.

Old Man Mcgucket did a happy little jig. Dipper hugged the book to his chest, letting the wind blow his brown hair out of his eyes, revealing his birthmark.

Dipper chuckled excitedly. "The Mystery Shack!"

* * *

His name was...well, it was many things. He had a ton of different aliases, though his most popular, current one is Stan.

Stan, the old man who turned his old home into a museum.

He was just a good, honest (lying, grumpy) man running his nice, humble (cheap, rip-off) business known as the Mystery Shack.

He was a con man, really. Always twisting and bending rules, cutting corners and dodging the law. None of the junk in his exhibits are true, just made up creatures and phenomenons to take away the sting of the apocalypse.

Jesus 'Soos' Alzamirano Ramirez was the handyman, a strange man-child with a deep respect for the man who deserved none. You could find him unclogging the Porta-Potties or fixing a light bulb. He's the chubby one with the question mark shirt and dusty brown cap, probably eating some kind of knock-off-brand snack.

Wendy Corduroy was the clerk, a proud rebel teenager who, like Stan, barely followed the rules. I guess that's why you could say that Stan had a place in his heart for the girl. She was laidback, so much so that she barely does her work. To find her, look for the girl with the long red hair and adorable freckles, most likely wearing a flannel shirt.

It was just the three of them, working to hold up this business. Yep. Just the three of them, working in a rickety old gift shop, nothing more, nothing less. Especially if the government asks.

When Dipper walked in, he was sorely disappointed. All he could see were dozens of bobble heads and shirts of panthers or pumas. However, he was determined to keep his spirits high. With a skip in his step and a proud smile on his face, he approached the man who was identical to all those bobble heads.

"Excuse me, are you the owner?"

"Who's askin'?"

Dipper was taken aback by the gruff, bored tone. He shook it off, however, clearing his throat and straightening his back. "Sir, I'd like to ask about the strange phenomenons that are taking over Earth."

Stan raised an eyebrow, and Dipper's voice caught the attention of both Soos and Wendy. "Why are you asking, kid?" his eyes slid suspiciously to Old Man Mcgucket, then back to Dipper.

"You see, we're trying to stop the apocalypse," Dipper motioned to Mcgucket, then to himself. "We think that your shack might have some answers."

"Well, aren't you ambitious?" Wendy cut in, shooting a glare at Stan before smiling down at Dipper. "You won't find anything helpful here, pipsqueak. Stan's ripping everyone off with fake stuff."

Dipper looked up at the old man with surprise. "Really?"

Stan grumbled. "What's yer name, kid?"

"Dipper. This here is Old Man Mcgucket, my… guardian."

"Look, Dipper. What are you, nine?"

"Twelve."

"Same thing. This thing you're trying to do...it's a little too much for a kid. I think you should mind your own business, and quit this 'saving the world' business before something bad happens."

Dippers face fell into a frown. "How could you not want to help the world?!"

"What has the world ever done for me?" Stan went back to counting his money. "Leave while you still can, Dipper."

"Look, I know we can figure something out!" Dipper said stubbornly. "I found this book-"

"Uh-huh. Whatever, kid," Stan didn't look up from his cash.

"Please, sir, if you would just listen-"

"Don't call me sir," Stan shoved the money back into the cash register and slammed it shut angrily. "The name's Stan, kid. Stan the Mystery Shack man. Now get out."

"But-!"

Suddenly, the door slammed in Dipper's face. He hadn't realized that the old man pushed him and Mcgucket out of the Shack. His dark eyes stared, wide, at the wooden door, awe-stricken by the sheer rudeness he had just experienced.

"Well ain't he a daisy?" Old Man Mcgucket said in his loud, hillbilly voice.

"I struck a nerve," Dipper murmured. "What was it that I said? Something about saving the world?"

"Maybe he's tryin' to destroy the world!"

Dipper ignored that comment as another one of Mcgucket's crazy lines. Suddenly, the window was tossed open, and Dipper jumped in surprise.

"Oops. Sorry to scare ya, dude," Soos said, leaning out the window.

"I-It's okay," Dipper regained his composure,

"You're Dipper, right?" Soos struggled to climb through the window, falling outside onto his back with an 'OOF!' He brushed himself off, standing up. "I'm Soos."

"Hi," Dipper was unsure of how to respond, not knowing why the strange man was talking to him.

"I just came to tell you that you shouldn't take everything Stan says to heart," Soos said kindly. Dipper grinned. Finally, the first ounce of niceness since he's stepped into this town. "Sure, he's grumpy, but he's trying to run a pretty tough business."

"I know, I just couldn't understand why he wouldn't want to help, for the good of the planet," Dipper sighed.

"Not everything you think is good for the planet, is good for the planet," Soos said after a moment of thought. "Just...watch where you step, 'kay dude? You don't want to get hurt."

Soos moved to open the door, and Dipper watched as the man looked over his shoulder one last time at the boy before closing the door. "Pretty tough business?" he scoffed under his breath. "How hard could it be? All he's doing is running a rip off store!"

"Hotel deedly doo?" Old Man Mcgucket asked.

"Yeah, let's go find a hotel," Dipper agreed, tucking the journal into his vest. Dang, he just realized he never got to show the journal to that Stan guy. Whatever, he probably would have shot any idea down. He wouldn't have cared one bit. Dipper sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I really thought it would help." He cleared his throat and looked back up, glaring at the Mystery Shack sign (which happened to be missing an S, so it just said Mystery hack). "We should get inside before zombies or something catches up with us," he said, looking around suspiciously. Inside a building was the safest place to be in an apocalypse, especially in the deep woods, where there are a lot of hiding places for the especially intelligent ones.

As the two of them headed deeper into town, a young boy watched them curiously from behind a tree. His white hair seemed taller than he was, shining in the sunlight so much that it was amazing that Dipper hadn't seen him before. He munched on his apple, intrigued, before turning and disappearing back into the woods.

* * *

**Hi! I'm Abby. What do you guys think? Any questions, requests, predictions? I'd love to hear what you guys think!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Wow!" Mabel exclaimed as they passed the Welcome to Gravity Falls sign. "So this is it!"

She admired the scenery. The sun peeking through the leaves of the high trees as they drove down a gravel road. The rays of the sun were like spotlights shining on random patches of the woods. In the distance, a water tower poked out of the woods, with one side saying Welcome to Gravity Falls and on the other side was a graffiti spraypainting of big muffin. A gentle breeze blew through, and Mabel leaned her head out the window and let her hair wave gently with the wind. Aside from the muffled rumbling of the food truck's engine, the world was silent and serene.

That was until a dagger flew out from behind a tree and lodged itself into the side of the truck, just missing the window to Mabel's head. She screeched with fear as Lazy Susan swerved.

The moral of this story? Buckle up, kids. Because if Mabel had just had her seatbelt on, she most likely wouldn't end up like this.

As Lazy Susan swerved, Mabel's body was yanked from the car (thanks a lot, inertia). She screamed, flailing her arms as she fell to the gravel path and skid to a stop, scratches lining the right side of her body. She groaned and rose to her hands and knees, blood dripping from her right ear down her cheek. The side of her face, shoulder, elbow, knee, and calf were all scratched up, bruised, and bleeding. She tugged at her skirt and rose shakily to her feet, grabbing the grappling hook from her belt and looking around worriedly.

The food truck stopped, brakes screeching. Dust rose up from the gravel as the truck spun back around to face Mabel. "KID!"

Mabel gasped as two pale figures stumbled out of the forest, walking straight _through _the trees. The white of their eyes took up their whole eye, with no pupils or color. Using her (fairly extensive) background knowledge about apocalypse monsters, Mabel concluded that these two were indeed ghosts.

They moaned, raising their arms. At the motion, thousands of more knives, swords, and other such pointy, scary things rose from the ground and trembled in midair, pointed straight at Mabel.

"AAAAAAH!" Mabel yelped, throwing her hands in front of her face and closing her eyes. She felt something, a small hand, grab her wrist and begin pulling her, knocking the grappling hook from her grip. She quickly snapped her eyes back open and watched as the boy who grabbed her turned around and began to run.

With his tight grip on her wrist, she was pulled behind the boy as he ran into the woods, away from the food truck. She stared, wide-eyed, at his back. He wore a baby blue suit, and his shiny white hair reached to the sky, undoubtedly to make the short-statured boy look taller.

"L-Lazy Susan!" Mabel gasped out as she was dragged into the woods.

"She'll be fine, they're following us!" the boy yelled back with a twangy accent.

Mabel's head spun to look over her shoulder and sure enough the ghosts were following them, a sea of weapons flying behind them. Mabel squeaked with fear.

"Just a little farther!" the boy said, running even faster. Mabel tripped and stumbled to catch up with him.

"Where are we going?" she yelled up to him.

"You'll see!" was his only response.

She watched with confusion as they passed a circle of tree trunks, each with a lit candle resting on their tops. At their feet was a strange chalk drawing of a circle with some weird designs. The boy dragged her right by it, tugging her behind him and spinning around to face the ghost, releasing her and whipping out a book.

"Spookus scareus, exodus demonus, ain'tafraidus noghostus!"

Mabel watched with awe as the boy shouted some strange incantation just as the ghosts ran into the circle. They screeched, raising their hands to claw at the air as they disappeared. The weapons rained to the ground with a CLANK, CRASH, and BOOM! The candles all went out at once. Once again, the woods went silent, and all Mabel could hear were her desperate breaths and her heart pounding in her eardrums.

The boy sighed and tucked the book back into his suit and turned to Mabel. "Just in the nick of time," he said with an adorable, cheeky grin.

"Who are you?" Mabel had to keep herself from squealing at the sheer adorableness of the boy.

"My name's Gideon," he said, holding out his hand. "Gideon Gleeful. And what might your name be, you beautiful girl?"

Mabel's cheeks turned pink and she sheepishly reached out and shook his hand. "Aw, shucks. I'm Mabel Pines."

* * *

Dipper stepped out of the front door of Rusty's Motel, soon followed by Old Man Mcgucket.

"Mystery Shack?" the old man asked in a high voice.

"No way, Mcgucket," Dipper turned to his companion and shook his head, holding the journal to his chest. "That place didn't work at all. We got to go back to the original place we found the journal." Dipper felt his belt, checking to make sure his gun was still there. "Be on the look out for anything crazy, okay?"

Mcgucket just yodeled and slapped his knee.

Dipper, taking that as an 'okay!', looked around once more before rushing back off into the woods.

"Let's see..." he mumbled, dodging tree branch after tree branch. "It was around here...then we took a right at the weird tree that looked like a butt..." he yelped with surprise when his foot didn't hit ground, but fell into a small steel compartment in the ground. "Here it is!" He chuckled, pulling his foot out and falling to his knees to examine it.

"A road, a road!" Mcgucket chanted, pointing at a truck just a little distance away from their spot.

"Not now, Mcgucket!" Dipper waved his hand in dismissal.

"Truck! Truck!"

Dipper, curious to see what had Mcgucket so worked up, rose to his feet and looked where the old man was pointing. "It's just a truck," he rolled his eyes.

"Ghosty! Ghosty!"

Dipper snapped to attention, looking around and whipping out the book. Then, he relaxed, turning to glare at his partner. "Old Man Mcgucket, there are no ghosts here!"

"Ghosty!"

Dipper groaned, knowing that Mcgucket won't let up until the 'ghosts' were gone. "Here, let me prove it to you," he took the man's wrist and dragged him to the gravel road, to the truck that was labeled Lazy Susan's Food Truck. On the ground in front of it was a grappling hook. Dipper bent down to pick it up. "Who would leave a grappling hook lying around?" he looked up at the truck and saw an old lady climb out.

"You! Did you see a little girl and a weird looking boy over there?!" she called out, pointing to the woods.

"Ah...no, sorry," Dipper shook his head, studying the woman. She showed no signs of being an apocalypse monster. However, with Dipper's background knowledge and the new information from the journal, he knew that some monsters could pass as humans.

"Lazy Susan!" a girl came running out of the woods with a small boy. Dipper concluded that these were the two she was looking for.

"Hey, that's mine!" the girl pointed at the grappling hook in Dipper's hands.

"I got rid of those ghosts for you, miss," the boy said with a smile.

So there were ghosts! Dipper sent an apologetic look over his shoulder to Old Man Mcgucket, but he was too busy having a deep conversation with an ant crawling across the ground to notice.

"GIDEON!" a voice called out. A girl in a black tank top, leggings and a ski mask with her hair tucked in came shooting through the sky. No, really! It looked like she was flying. She pulled into a flip and landed in front of Dipper. She looked over her shoulder at him, and her eyes widened when she saw the journal in his hands.

The boy, Gideon, followed her gaze and gasped. "That book!"

Dipper hugged it to his chest, taking a step back. The girl spun around to face Gideon again.

"You're not getting that book, Gideon!" she hissed, pulling out her gun and pointing it at Gideon.

Gideon giggled with glee, raising his hands in surrender.. "Red Axe. How nice to see you again. What might you be doing in these fine woods?"

"Daily patrol," she growled, constantly shooting looked to Dipper. Or, more importantly, Dipper's book. "Listen to me, kid, you don't want to give it to him!"

"Why not?" the girl with the long brown hair cut in as a pig ran up to her and circled around her feet happily. "Gideon saved my life!"

"Meet Mabel," Gideon patted the girl's back with a smirk. "I caught a few ghosts going after her."

"Meet Dipper," Red Axe replied sassily, motioning to Dipper. "I caught an ugly little boy trying to steal his book."

"How did you know my name?" Dipper asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. Red Axe slapped her hand over her mouth...or, where her mouth would be under her ski mask, and gasped, realizing she had made a mistake. "What are you?" Dipper continued. "A mind reader?"

"Yes?" Red Axe tried uncertainly.

"Mabel, you don't want to get caught up in their business," Gideon led the girl back to her truck, glaring at Red Axe and Dipper.

"You don't want to get involved with a kid like Gideon," Red Axe crouched down to whisper to Dipper, tucking her gun back into it's pouch. "He's bad news. I'll explain all of this in a second, I promise." Her dark eyes rested on the book pressed to Dipper's chest. "If you let me have that book."

"No!" Dipper hugged the book even tighter. His scared, confused twelve year old face was enough to make the toughest of hearts melt as he stared up at the masked girl with wide eyes. "I-I don't know who you people are, or why you want this book, but you can't have it!"

"You can trust me," Red Axe comforted. "It's Gideon who's the bad guy."

"How do I know that?!" Dipper asked.

The food truck, with a great rumbling of it's engine, began to drive away.

"Who were those back there?" Mabel asked Gideon, the two of them sitting in the backseat. Waddles watched them from the passenger seat.

"I'm not sure who that boy was, but he has the book I need," Gideon looked down at the journal in his lap. "And the girl was Agent Red Axe."

"Agent? Like, a secret agent?!" Mabel gasped, excitement staining her voice.

"Not the good kind, Mabel," Gideon said seriously, staring down at the book. "She's bad news. She's affiliated with that boy, I just know it! But how could he have found that book?" he began to mumble under his breath.

"That boy stole my grappling hook!" Mabel growled, looking over her shoulder. Gideon noticed the hatred in her voice and looked up, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I can get your grappling hook, and help you with anything else you desire."

"Really?"

Gideon smiled. "Anything for a beautiful girl like you. But, I'll need your help in return."

"What kind of help will we be?" Mabel questioned. "We're just a couple of runaways-"

"-that have managed to survive the apocalypse until now," Gideon pointed out. "Not many people can say that. I see real potential in you, Mabel. In fact, I think you'd be quite the help to my little...business."

"Business?"

"The Tent of Telepathy," Gideon explained. "It's a tent where people come and I put on a psychic show for them," he pressed his fingers to his temples with a grin. "But there's much more about it, that only a select few people know about." He held out his hand. "What do you say, Mabel? I'll explain it all. Do you trust me?"

Mabel looked down at his hand, then up at the front seat. Lazy Susan met her eyes through the mirror. Mabel took a deep breath before turning back to Gideon and shaking his hand with business-like seriousness.

"I trust you."

* * *

**Grunkle Stan...I trust you.**

**GAH THAT EPISODE THOUGH!**

**Anyway, what do you guys think? I like the number of followers and favorites I'm seeing, now let's just up the reviews! I'd love to know what you guys think!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Here it is!" Gideon exclaimed, leading Mabel and Lazy Susan into the Tent of Telepathy. It was just a giant blue tent with a small stage up front.

"You want me to help you with your psychic show?" Mabel questioned with uncertainty. Gideon chuckled, shaking his head.

"The real business, Mabel dear, is under the stage," Gideon tapped on his emblem, an eye, that was on the side of the stage. It opened up, revealing a small tunnel.

Gideon held out his hand.

Mabel sighed and accepted it.

Together, leaving Lazy Susan outside with Waddles, they crawled under the stage. Mabel looked around, but the tunnel under the stage was dark, and eerily silent. She looked up and saw that Gideon's huge hair was dragging along the top of the tunnel. Suddenly, Gideon started to lower. He turned on his hands and knees to face her.

"There's a staircase here," he said. "Be careful." He crab-walked down the stairs until he was able to stand.

Mabel crawled up to the entrance of the stairs that lead underground. She looked down with uncertainty. It was so dark, and she couldn't see the bottom. Gideon turned back around and took her hand.

"You'll be fine."

Mabel, trusting Gideon, followed him. Slowly, she was able to stand back up again, and the stairs eventually led to a gray door. Gideon pressed his palm against the panel, and the door slid open. A white room lit up. Gideon led an open-mouthed Mabel in.

"So this is what's going on under Gravity Falls..." she breathed as the gray door slid shut behind her. In the white room was a panel, under a window. In the next room, there was a machine, unlike what she had ever seen. "I feel like I just stepped into a sci-fi movie!"

"You're not too far off there, Mabel," Gideon giggled. "Daddy!"

There was a man who was messing around with the panel. He turned around, revealing a big stomach and an even bigger smile. "Gideon! Who's this little girl?"

"This is Mabel, daddy," Gideon led Mabel to the panel. "I wanted to show her what really happens at the Tent of Telepathy."

"Go right ahead," his dad stepped to the side so Mabel could see out the window. She leaned forward on the panel to get a better view.

"What is it you're trying to do, exactly?" she asked.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the gravel road, Agent Red Axe was still trying to reason with Dipper. McGucket was still on the ground, talking to his ant friend.

"Look, kid, that Gideon kid doesn't know what he's up against," Red Axe emphasized. "If you give me that book, we can save the whole world!"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do!" Dipper groaned. "But how should I know if I can trust you?!"

Red Axe looked around anxiously before slipping off her ski mask and shaking down her bright red hair. It took only a moment for Dipper to recognize that freckled face.

"You're...from the Mystery Shack!"

"Wendy," she held out her hand. Dipper didn't accept the handshake.

"Why the heck are you running around with ski masks?!"

Red Axe- ahem, Wendy, sighed, drooping her shoulders and tucking her mask into her back pocket. "There's a lot more going on in Gravity Falls than you can possibly hope to understand, kid."

"That's how you knew my name..." Dipper breathed with realization. "A-And what about that grumpy guy?"

"Stan?" Wendy questioned. "What about him?"

"Does he run around in ski masks, too?"

Wendy tossed back her head, laughing. "Oh man, he sure does! To shoplift!" She kept laughing, running her fingers through her hair. "He's your everyday conman, Dipper."

"S-So why do you get to dress up like a secret agent? And what was all that 'Red Axe' business?"

"All you need to know is that whatever Gideon's doing, we're against," Wendy explained. "I'll let you keep the book, kid," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just don't let Gideon get a hold of it, alright?"

"What would happen if he got this?" Dipper asked, tucking the book into his backpack.

"That's a conversation for another time," Wendy whispered, looking around. "If you ever see me around, do _not _mention this conversation, alright?"

"G-Got it."

Wendy winked and pulled out her own grappling hook, slipping the ski mask back on. "Thanks, man!" With a holler, she swung off a tree branch, back into the woods and probably back to the Mystery Shack. Dipper stared as she disappeared. He looked down at the other girl's grappling hook in his hands. "Mcgucket?"

"Doo?" the old man looked up from the ant. Dipper motioned for him to come over, and he skittered over on all fours.

"We're onto something big here, Mcgucket," Dipper grinned down at the old man, brimming with excitement. "This book...it's going to lead us to some answers, I know it will."

"HOODLEY DOO!" Mcgucket did a happy little jig in celebration. Dipper couldn't help but feel like dancing as well. But he held back, going with just a huge smile.

"That Gideon kid," Dipper patted the grappling hook, looking off in the distance where that greasy food truck drove off. "He's definitely our next stop."

"But the pretty girl said we should stay away!" Mcgucket pointed out.

"Pretty doesn't mean trustworthy, Mcgucket," Dipper looked back down at the man. "Right now, everyone's just clues, leading to my answer," the wind blew his hair back dramatically. "I'll be able to save the world."

* * *

Mabel stared out the window as the food truck bounced along the gravel pathway once again, leaving the Tent of Telepathy. This time, however, her head was swimming with too many thoughts to enjoy the sun peeking through the trees, or the smell of nature surrounding her. She thought of that machine, and Gideon's words, echoing in her mind.

"We're opening up a portal. What we bring back can save us from this apocalypse."

Somehow, little old Mabel Pines had gotten involved with the heroes of Gravity Falls.

The heroes _under _Gravity Falls.

And that boy, the one who took her grappling hook, had the book that Gideon needed to open that portal and bring whatever he wants to bring into this universe.

Mabel swore that she would help him do that.

Now, accompanied by old cd music in the food truck and the old grease smell, Mabel, Waddles, and Lazy Susan were on their way to the abandoned diner.

The woods broke away into a small, rundown town. Trees became mailboxes, grass became pavement. "This is it," Lazy Susan pulled into a diner in horrible condition. Mabel stepped out of the truck, the door slamming shut behind her. As she and Lazy Susan approached the door, she looked at the shattered windows. Lazy Susan unlocked the door and stepped inside, revealing tables that had been turned over and a completely empty cash register.

"Lazy Susan, I..." Mabel started.

"Don't worry about it, dear," Lazy Susan put Waddles down on the ground so he could run around. "I assumed it would be like this. It hasn't been used for a long time," she said as she picked up a table and pushed in two chairs. "We'll have to board up those windows so nothing comes in here while we live in here."

"We're living in here now?" Mabel questioned, looking around the trashed diner. Well, she supposed it was better than living in a truck.

"It'll look a lot better once we're done with it," Lazy Susan handed her a broom. "Take care of the broken glass by the window, won't you?"

* * *

**The Next Day**

Dipper and Mcgucket left Rusty's Motel bright and early for the second day in a row. Dipper had a plan. He was going to find that Gideon boy and ask him more questions about the journal.

"Breaaaaakfaaaaast," Mcgucket whined, waddling alongside his companion.

"We'll get breakfast," Dipper comforted, flipping through the book. "We have to ask around for that 'Gideon' fellow."

"Gideon?" a man on the street cut in. "You lookin' for Gideon Gleeful?"

Dipper turned to face the pudgy, black man. Beside him was tall, lanky man, both of them dressed as cops.

"Y-Yeah."

The two cops looked at each other. The shorter one tipped his hat with a cheeky grin. "We can help you there, boy. You can find Gideon Gleeful at his usual performance tonight, at the Tent of Telepathy, just down that road."

"Tent of Telepathy," Dipper breathed. "Tent of Telepathy, I have to remember that! Thank you..."

"Sheriff Blubs. This here is Deputy Durland."

"Thank you, sir," Dipper grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet before taking off down the sidewalk. Mcgucket yelped and scurried after him.

"Running!" he exclaimed.

"Tent of Telepathy," Dipper panted, tucking the journal into his vest. "The show isn't until tonight, but if we head there now there might be someone there we can talk to- OOF!" he grunted as he turned the corner and ran into someone. He fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"Watch where you're going, squirt," the boy snarled, crossing his arms. Dipper winced, looking up at the tall, pale teenager in front of him, clad in black, hood draped over his long black hair. The boy snarled down at Dipper intimidatingly.

"Robbie!" some girl whined, walking up from behind the teenager. She barely looked up from her phone, brushing her purple hair out of her eyes. "You goin' around beating up little kids now?"

"No!" the teen, Robbie, scoffed, holding out his hand to Dipper, revealing his black, fingerless gloves. Dipper winced before accepting it, letting him help him off the ground.

"You alright, kid?" the girl asked, leaning down to study him. Nervous, Dipper stepped back.

"I'm fine."

Mcgucket caught up to them, mumbling under his breath. It only took a second for the two teenagers to study the small old man and snicker.

"C'mon," Robbie held out his elbow. The girl accepted it and looked back down at her phone. With that, the two walked away, turning the corner. Dipper sighed.

"Let's keep going to that Tent of Telepathy," Dipper urged, following the path the Sheriff set out for them. He and Mcgucket walked down the sidewalk, studying the layout of the town. Luckily, they had no more awkward encounters with any other townspeople before they reached the Tent.

"Woah," Dipper breathed as the two of them walked across the small parking lot, a few cars scattered here and there. The Tent reached high into the trees, a glistening baby blue. A multicolored star with an eye was perched that the top. Dipper tensed, feeling like the eye was watching him.

"I'm gonna head inside," Dipper whispered. "You keep watch behind this car."

"And if I hear anyone coming, I'll give you the signal!" Mcgucket added, patting various parts of his body rhythmically. Used to Mcgucket's strangeness, Dipper just nodded.

"Right," he whispered, pushing the old man behind a car before approaching the flap of the Tent.

He pushed through, looking around. Benches were lined up like pews, all leading up to a fairly small but very sparkly stage. The curtains rustled, and voices grew louder. Gideon and the girl from yesterday came out from backstage, already deep in a conversation.

Dipper gasped and ducked behind one of the pew-like benches. "What is she doing here?!" he whispered to himself. He hesitated, licked his lips, and then looked back over the pew.

"I'm excited to see your show, Gideon," the girl said eagerly as the boy knelt down on stage to look down at her.

"I'm sure you are," he chuckled, patting her cheek.

"So you're like a real life celebrity, huh?"

"Mabel, you flatter me."

_Mabel, _Dipper mentally noted. _That's her name. Mabel. _Remembering something, he felt around his vest and pulled out her grappling hook. _That's right, this is hers! _His eyes widened, and he felt around his vest again. _No...no no no, it was here this morning! _He peeked to make sure Mabel and Gideon weren't looking before darting out of the tent.

He sprinted down the woodchip pathway, panting and ducking behind the cars in the parking lot. Mcgucket jumped in his hiding spot, surprised that he was back so soon. "What's wrong?" the man asked, watching as the boy desperately patted at his vest. He stripped off the vest completely letting it fall to the ground. He collapsed beside it, digging through all of the pockets.

"Where is it, where is it?!" he growled. "I just had it, I swear!"

"Where's what?" Mcgucket asked, kneeling beside Dipper. Dipper looked up at his companion with huge, worried eyes.

"The journal! It's gone!"

Suddenly, footsteps from behind the car approached them.

* * *

**Thank you for all the kind words! I'm sorry it took so long to update. If you guys like and review, I'll keep going!**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**


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